If success is measured in numbers, GirlHacks 2026 and its theme of The Enchanted Grove has broken records for what could be called the best NJIT hackathon in years. But then this year’s event went beyond metrics to provide an intangible experience for corporate sponsors and student hackers alike that has set a new benchmark for similar competitions moving forward.
Still, the numbers don’t lie: 10 corporate partners, with seven in-kind sponsors; 200 hackers, 121 of whom were first-timers; 61% women and non-binary participants; 18 majors represented; and 59 projects submitted at the end of 24 hours spent building, networking and learning.
According to NJIT’s Women in Computing Society (WiCS) e-board, the student organizing committee, over 50% of students said that GirlHacks boosted their tech career confidence, and that the overall support they received throughout the weekend was one of the most rewarding experiences they’ve had in recent memory.
Hackers also got to learn directly from sponsors through three technical workshops hosted by companies like ADP, Avanade and Major League Hacking (MLH), in addition to a first-time Women in Tech Fireside Chat—all of which boasted an average 80.4% attendance.
One of several reasons for the event’s success can be attributed to Ying Wu College of Computing (YWCC) senior Lakshita Madhavan, WiCS president and director for GirlHacks 2026, who said, “I’ve been on the WiCS e-board since my freshman year, starting out as sponsor coordinator. However, [this] was my first time leading an event of this scale.”
She is quick to point out, however, that one cannot be a great leader without the commitment of a phenomenal team. She is indebted to Stephanie Nicolaescu, Anne Therese Argonza, Sharanya Raj, Carlin Verano, Manisha Palaniappan, Caithy Liao, Azka Faisal, Saidarsha Karunakaran, Garima Thapa, Meera James, Diya Pottangadi, and Priya Patel for their dedication, hard work and passion for helping make GirlHacks 2026 a premier hackathon in the New York metro region.
“What made the experience so meaningful was that most of our e-board were organizing GirlHacks for the very first time,” she added.
This implied that those on the planning committee also took the initiative to be proactive instead of reactive in providing an exceptional experience for students and the sponsor companies – with many new brand-new ideas consistently being implemented.
To make tech approachable for newcomers, the team added incentives such as office hours to help newbies install tools like GitHub and, for the first time, brought in industry mentors.
Dina Anello, YWCC executive director for external relations and the principal advisor for the competition, was effusive in her praise of the entire Girlhacks team, but especially for Madhavan, whom she said was one of the best student leaders she has worked with in her nine years at NJIT.
“The entire GirlHacks organizing committee did an outstanding job. Their innovation, professionalism and organization really made this year's event stand out,” she said. “I was particularly impressed with Lakshita's leadership skills managing such a large group. Leading a group of 13 students to execute an event with so many components is no small feat!”
There is a cost for producing a memorable event, which this year included everything from forest theme inspired decorations; prizes; midnight de-stressing activities like karaoke, a fortune-telling room and top-tier catering; and of course, copious amounts of the latest technology!
WiCS extends their heartfelt thanks for the increased sponsorship from the many partner companies who helped make The Enchanted Grove more than just another walk in the park: ADP, Avanade, Fiserv, Judi Health, CrowdStrike, Merck, ISC2, Digital Verity, Wipro, ISACA, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Major League Hacking, DeepSpace, Photon, Lovable, Immi Ramen, and Wegmans Food Markets
“The care behind the event was clear, and it made the experience feel welcoming, organized and inspiring,” said Valentin Guerin, Avanade technology account lead – chemical and natural resources. “We really appreciated the opportunity to support GirlHacks and NJIT students again this year, and we’re looking forward to continuing the collaboration!”
Now that all is said and done – can you really put a number on a priceless experience?
The list of Winners:
1st Place + Best Use of Solana: Alexandria
👑 2nd Place: Caledonia
👑 3rd Place: Hobitual
📜 ADP Challenge - AI for the Modern Enterprise: DeepRoot
📜 Best Use of Azure by Avanade: DeepRoot
🌱 Best Beginner Hack + Best Use of Eleven Labs: Wick
🌱 Best Diversity Hack: Pitch Please
🌱 Best On-theme Hack: Dryad
🌱 Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry: Forest of Whimsy
🌱 Best Use of Tiger Data: LoamGnome Garden
🌱 Best Use of Gemini API: Escape the Enchanted Grove
